


First Love

by loisanne12



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold in the Dark Castle, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold in the Enchanted Forest, Cute, Dark Castle, F/M, Rumbelle - Freeform, The Enchanted Forest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5496230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loisanne12/pseuds/loisanne12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rumpelstiltskin was abandoned at a young age, he was lost and alone, yet Belle became the light amidst the darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The beginning of a blossoming friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first fan fiction for Once Upon a Time! So I hope you like it, and enjoy <3   
> More chapters to come :3 Give some ideas and feedback is always welcome <3

_'All that matters is that we're together.'_ Rumple kept repeating that line over and over inside of his head, remembering how his father dismissed him only just moments ago; only thinking of himself in his child's time of need. How stupid Rumpelstiltskin felt as he was dragged by the strong force of the shadow, all the way back to his hometown; it seemed like merely a second of travel until he awoke on the hard wooden floor of the spinners home. The spinners home was covered in a thick layer of dust, strung up yarn hanging on hooks on the grey dull walls. a vintage purple rug sat slanted on the floor below a wooden table holding up pots and cups. The old room was covered in clutter and it was mainly filled up with two large spinning wheels; that the two old women tended to occupy every moment Rumpelstiltskin would be there. Rumpelstiltskin always remembered how he'd watch them spin and how hypnotizing it would be just so watch the wheel; so as his father would go out, the old women would teach Rumplestiltskin how to spin. Apparently he was a natural, so maybe it could become his future trade in getting money to help himself, and his father live a fairly comfortable life.

However that all changed when he sat up in the empty room, with the only sound he could hear was his heavy rapid breathing, "Father?" the little boy called out, pure fear apparent in his voice. It must've been a dream...I couldn't have been taken from Neverland. Rumpelstiltskin shot up in his panicked state, and hurried around the whole room to find it completely empty; which was unusual. He quickly ran towards the front door and twisted the door handle, suddenly finding himself outside in the gloomy surroundings of his neighborhood. The boy called out his fathers name, but sadly no one replied; villagers looked upon the boy with pity, yet no one came to help him, "Dad...please." Rumplestiltskin begged, with tears filling up in his eyes, as he legs gave out and he collapsed on the ground, feeling lost and almost numb.

The crying boy was so distracted by his numb feeling in his heart to not notice that it had began raining quite moderately. The towns villagers rushed inside their homes for shelter, and the children who were playing in the rain with pure joy written on their faces, were grabbed by their parents to be taken inside to the warmth. Sadly, Rumpelstiltskin came to the conclusion that he will never have a parent to take him inside to safety when it rains.

Until all of a sudden, a dark brown cloak just a bit bigger than the boy itself was wrapped around him, causing him to be protected from the rain. In shock, his head shot up to look upon a young girl, probably a few years younger than Rumpelstiltskin. Her eyes were a bright blue; filled with curiosity and joy, her skin was a beautiful pale shade, and her lips were pink. She had shoulder length brown hair which was currently wet from the rain, and her clothes looked quite expensive in comparisons to Rumpelstiltskin's clothes. The little girl smiled down at the boy, "You shouldn't be sitting outside in the rain...you can get a cold." She stated, not noticing the look of shock on the boys face, "You can keep the cloak, you'd need it more than me." She giggled,

"Why...?"

"Why what?" she asked confused,

"Why would you give me this?" Rumpelstiltskin mumbled, going to remove the cloak to hand back, but the little girl smiled and placed her gentle hand on his to stop it from moving,

"I have lots of cloaks at home, its alright." She laughed, but her smile dropped when noticing that the boys eyes were red from crying, "Are you okay?" her concern clear on her face. The boy quickly looked away, and stood up from the mud, wiping himself down and wrapping the cloak up more securely on himself for better protection.

"I'm fine." Rumpelstiltskin lied. The little girl knew he was lying, but she smiled brightly anyway,

"What is your name?" she asked, trying to ignore the chill in the air,

"It's...Rumpelstiltskin." he mumbled, ashamed of his own name. He has never been fond of it, and was picked on for having an weird name, even though his father always said it was a wonderful and unique name. The little girl giggled and her eyes seemed to light up with wonder,

"What an odd name!" She chuckled, caused the boy to look away slightly embarrassed, "I love it!". Rumpelstiltskin looked back at her in surprise; her face looked genuine, which caused him to become even more surprised.

"What...what is your name?" he asked, trying to hide the curiosity in his tone. However before he could reply, three large grand horses rode up along the road of the town, and Rumpelstiltskin's jaw almost dropped when he spotted their king and queen riding up to the children, with clear looks of relief on their faces. The third horse was rode by a knight, probably to stand by as a security purpose for the king and queen. The queen gracefully dismantled off of her beautiful white horse, and crouched down slightly with her arms open,

"Belle!" the queen called with a beautiful large smile on her face. The little girl, Belle, rushed over to her mother and hugged her, leaving a confused yet stunned Rumple behind. "Where have you been?" The queen asked concerned,

"I saw Rumple..stil..skin.." she coughed, trying her hardest to pronounce his name, yet to no avail she just giggled, and pointed over at the boy cowering in the corner with the princess's cloak on, "I found him standing in the rain and he looked like he needed help." She stated, and the queen smiled,

"That was very kind of you sweetheart." the queen patted her daughters head, then looked over at the boy, "Are you alright my dear boy?" She asked, standing back up, her kind eyes reminded Rumpelstiltskin of Belle. The boy just nodded his head, which seemed to satisfy the queen to take Belle's hand and help her upon the horse she was riding on. The queen then joined Belle and whispered something his the princess's ear, then Belle smiled and looked towards the boy,

"I don't know what has made you sad...but something my mum has always told me, is that when you find something worth fighting for, you never give up."

Rumple stood there, his eyes stained with tears as the king and queen took off home, with the sweet princess at their side. Something Belle said stuck with Rumpelstiltskin, and it seemed that it wouldn't be the last time that the young spinner would meet the beautiful princess again.


	2. The Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and the kudos <3  
> I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and have a Merry Christmas!!!

Rumpelstiltskin could barely sleep for years after that first meeting with Belle; how he couldn't stop thinking about the kind girl who sheltered him when he needed help the most. How could someone so lovely, help a boy so lost? Rumple sat up in his bed, and rested his head against the cold wall behind him and closed his eyes sleepily,

"When will I see you again...?" Rumple whispered in the cold darkness of his tiny room. The only thing he could hear was the creaking of floorboards as the harsh wind hit against the rickety house, and the howls of wolves in the near distance, which caused Rumple to sigh sadly , and stand up slowly from his bed. Oh how he wished he could run fast out of the town like a wolf, and  have  a new fresh start, without the reminder of how his father was a coward and abandoned him. He began walking towards the door and slowly opened it to find himself in the main room of the house; he took a few steps and noticed that the two old women must have been asleep by now as it was around 12pm. Rumpelstiltskin looked longingly upon the unused spinning wheel, thinking how lonely it looked, and felt an odd connection to it. He made his way over to the seat and sat beside the spinning wheel, and began spinning without thinking about it.

His mind and thoughts finally went silent, and he closed his eyes peacefully as he began to forget all of the pain and sadness that was held in his darkening heart. The creak of the spinning wheel became so relaxing, that he didn't notice how long he has been spinning for. It has been a few hours of spinning until he suddenly heard a couple footsteps enter into the room, which caused the boy to stop and turn towards to the intruder. It was one of the old wome n he now lived with, Sarah, who was the kindest one of them both. She always had a kind smile on her old face, and her grey hair was always in a bun underneath the thin brown Scarf that she wore on top of her head. Her brown eyes looked upon the boy with sadness,

"Oh my dear boy, what are you doing up so late?" Sarah asked, folding her arms to keep herself warm from the bitter chill in the air. However Rumple didn't speak, yet he went back to spinning in silence with his eyes closed once again. Sarah sighed and made her way over to the boy, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Rumple to stop once again, "I know it has been a hard few months, but you need your rest dear." Sarah spoke softly as she gently squeezed Rumpelstiltskin's shoulders,

"I can't." Rumple mumbled irritated. Sarah smiled slightly and gently took Rumple's hand and helped him up from the seat,

"Is this about the princess?" She asked curiously, caused Rumple to look away quickly so she couldn't see the slight blush that came about on his cheeks. Alas Sarah noticed and giggled, "I'm sure you will see her again; the Queen tends to make regular visits to the town to bring hope and joy to the people who need it the most, especially since the Ogre wars have beg a n to get rather serious." Rumple seemed to acknowledge what Sarah had meant, and it seemed to put a small smile on his face, which in return made Sarah's smile wider. After their conversation, Rumple and Sarah both returned to their rooms and went back to sleep. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Rumple awoke with Sarah rushing into his room with a huge grin on her face, but before he could ask what was going on, she handed him a white envelope with 'Dear Rum' on the front; it was rather neatly written, and was definitely written by a girl from the way she placed a little heart on the end of his nickname. The word 'Rum' made Rumpelstiltskin smile, and thought it was a rather cute nickname for such a complicated and strange name. Sarah sat down on the end of the bed and watched with wide eyes as he opened the envelope, revealing a crisp white letter folded neatly inside. He opened it up and felt his smile widen as he read it,

_ 'Dear Rum,  _

_ I hope my cloak that I had given you has brought you shelter after all of these years. I apologize how I haven't been able to go to the town with my mother like I tend to do throughout the months, as my father has grown rather serious about my lessons in reading, writing and all together being a proper princess. I hope you are doing well, and if you would like to meet again, then I'd suggest my favo rite place; the lake behind the large willow tree. You should know the one as it is the only willow tree in this town. I hope to see you there today at 3pm, I'd love to see you again.  _

_ From Belle.' _

Rumpelstiltskin re-read the letter about 4 times before he settled it down with a huge smile on his face; he turned towards Sarah and it seemed like Sarah knew exactly what the letter had meant to him,

"Is that-" 

"From Belle, yes." Rumple interrupted excitedly, causing Sarah to laugh, 

"What did it say?" she asked curiously,

"The princess wants to meet me...after all these years." Rumple said rather stunned. Sarah cheered and stood up from the bed, 

"Well you better get dressed and go and meet her then!" Rumple nodded and got out of bed in a rush, quickly grabbing the clothes he wore yesterday and sliding them on; this made Sarah shake her head disappointly , "You're going to wear something dirty to meet a princess?" She asked in disbelief,

"It's not like I have any clothes..." Rumple mumbled. Sarah sighed and signaled him to wait there as she stepped out of the room for a couple minutes, only to return with a small brown bag. Curio sity caused Rumple to walk up to Sarah and inspect the package, "What is it?" The boy asked, standing on his tip toes to try to peek inside, but she only pulled the bag away further, earning a grunt out of the boy,

"Well, since it is your birthday soon I got you something, but I guess you need this more now than ever." Sarah chuckled as she handed over the bag. Rumpelstiltskin placed his hand inside the bag to find a soft fabric shirt and some new well-made grown trousers inside; he held the clothing up against the light, they were well made and seemed to be the nicest piece of clothing he had ever owned in his life. Rumple quickly put them aside and hugged Sarah with a large smile plastered on his face,

"Thank you!" Rumple hugged tighter, caused a small tear to fall from the old woman's brown eye,  

"That is alright my dear," she laughed, wiping away the small tear from her cheek, "Now get changed and find that girl!".   


	3. The Lake

Rumple ran; ran as fast as his little legs could take him. His smile wide and excited as he noticed the town clock, which read that it was 2pm. He noticed that lots of people were out today, but he was so happy; that he didn't care as he pushed and shoved people out of his way so he could get to the tree fast enough; earning complaints and moans from the village people. He sprinted down the small hill that lead to the large open gardens where crops grew, and right at the very back was that beautiful willow tree all on its own. Rumple jumped over some of the growing crops to prevent any damage caused to them, and dodged colliding into the farmers, otherwise it would cause some serious issues within the community; as farmers are very important to the life of the people, as food keeps them all alive and well.

Finally the teen reached the tree, and bent over slightly to catch his breath. He had been running constantly in his new clothes, and worried that he might he caused them to already get dirty from colliding with so much dirt, as it had been raining the night before; however to Rumples luck, his clothes seemed to be less dirty that he imagined, maybe luck was on his side?  
He began to make his way behind the tree towards the small opening between the large rose bushes, being very careful not to get pricked by the thorns that seemed to always get him harmed no matter what. However he managed to find himself unharmed as he came out from the bushes, and finally saw the beautiful lake; with graceful white swans swimming and plants covering all corners of the lake, except for the opening in front of Rumple. He smiled as he looked upon such a beautiful sight...however something much more beautiful giggled behind him.

Rumpelstiltskin gasped and whipped his head around to see the most beautiful girl. Her hair was wavy and came down past her shoulders, her bright blue eyes were practically glowing with curiosity and happiness, her lips were pink and were in a slight pout, her skin like a porcelain doll, she wore a ankle length yellow dress, with white ribbon tied around her waist and wrists, and a some intricate details stitched into parts of the dress, which meant that it was most definitely expensive. This girl, who looked about 15 smiled at the teen knowingly, she was definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Rumple noticed he hadn't breathed since setting his eyes upon such a creature, and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. What is happening to me...? Rumple thought confused. The girl stepped forward slightly and tilted her head in curiosity,

"You really did grow since I last saw you Rum." Belle giggled. Rumple's eyes widened in surprise, it really was her,

"Belle?" Rumple asked, his shock still apparent, causing Belle to giggle harder. Such a sound was music to his ears,

"Yes, and I see you forgot what I looked like?" She teased,

"I...you have changed- I mean you were a lot younger last time I saw you years ago." Rumple blurted, suddenly nervous in her presence. Belle smiled as she understand what he meant, and gently took his arm as a friendly gesture, causing Rumple's eyes to widen as he stared down at her arm,

"I guess you're right...I wish I could have met you sooner as I wanted to make sure you are doing well, since the last time we met you were crying-" she stopped when she noticed Rumple cringe at the bad memory, "I'm sorry, I like to make sure our people are well, which is why every month my mother comes down to the town to check up on things. Sadly my father has grown strict when he saw my kindness towards you, and apparently thought that I should spend more time with Prince's at my age, however I persuaded my mother to let me join her today, and she allowed me an hour alone." Belle explained. Rumple nodded and looked towards the lake, feeling more calm than before; he moved away from Belle so he could stand straight towards the lake and breathed in deeply before asking his next question,

"Why did you come here to see me?" He asked, "Was it only out of concern over your people?" the disappointment was clear in his voice, causing the beauty's smile to falter slightly. She stood next to Rumple and looked upon the lake with wonder in her blue eyes,

"Of course not, for some reason I kept trying to find you again, and it seemed I cared more than I should've been allowed." she chuckled, acting slightly nervous; causing Rumple to raise an eyebrow,

"Oh?"

"There was something about you I guess." Belle smiled, turning her head towards the curious boy, "I suppose my father noticed that as well; which is most likely why he wanted me to focus on higher status boys than..." She didn't need to finish her sentence for Rumpelstiltskin to understand where that was going. But he was still rather confused, but Belle quickly changed the topic, "Want to know why I chose this place?" Rumple nodded, "It's because of the roses...they are my favourite." Belle hummed happily.

Rumple grinned, as he made his way towards the rose bush nearest to him and picked out the rose which bloomed more than the others, and carefully picked the thorns off of the stem, and then gently placed the flower in Belle's brown wavy locks, just behind her ear. The girl blushed slightly as she felt his gentle finger tips touch her cheek by accident.  Belle curtsied gracefully, causing Rumple to bow in return. They both laughed joyfully, and it felt like everything around them had stopped moving all together and it was just them against the world, and the teens could sense that their hearts were growing fonder of each other. But Rumple suddenly darted his head away from Belle, as he realized that she was princess and he was just a poor village boy...nothing can possibly work out for them in a story so unlikely to have a happy ending.

Rumple stepped away from Belle, picked up a small stone below his foot, and threw it into the lake annoyed. Belle watched the teenager in curiosity as he kept picking up different types of stones and fling them into the water; causing an interesting ripple effect on the water. The beauty didn't pick up the fact that the boy was troubled, and bent down and picked up a stone for herself and watched how Rumple had been throwing them, and tried copying him. He noticed her doing the same as him, and a slight smile returned to his face. They had been throwing stones for a couple of minutes until the boy stopped as they suddenly noticed a swan had crept into the opening where the Princess and village boy had been standing. The fear reached both of their faces as the swan opened its wings in a territorial fashion and began running angrily towards them,

"Quick run!" Rumple yelled, hastily grabbing Belle's hand and sprinting in between the bushes, placing his arm out to catch any thorns from harming him instead of the princess,

"We must have been interrupting the swan's territory by throwing those stones!" Belle explained running after Rumple. In agreement he nodded, however when he ran into a particularly sharp thorn, which caught him deeply in his arm, he gasped and picked up his speed so that they could get out from the bushes quicker. When they reached the opening to the farm, they both fell to the ground in blind panic to catch their shaky breaths. Belle suddenly began laughing hard at what just happened, causing Rumple to shortly join in. They sat their laughing for a short while until Belle caught sight of the gash in Rumple's arm, and her eyes widened in shock,

"You're bleeding!" She gasped in horror, shuffling over to him to inspect the wound, but he just pulled his arm further away,

"It's fine, I can clean it myself." He mumbled. Belle was confused in why he was suddenly so distant, but decided not to pry,

"Well...okay then Rum." she sighed, "Thank you for meeting me today, even if it was a quick meeting."  
Rumple nodded, and gave the beauty a small smile,

"I apologize for making you scared, I shouldn't have thrown those stones." he chuckled awkwardly, earning a large smile out of the girl,

"It was fun." she sang happily, "That was the most excitement I've had in a couple of years." They both smiled at each other. It seemed like something came to Belle's mind and her smile grew larger,  
"Do you like books?" Belle asked excited,

"I do, why?" Rumple asked curiously,

"We must go to the library!" she gasped, jumping up and grabbing his arm and yanking him up. Without a word from the boy she already started taking him down the path in between the crops and up towards the town center with a large smile plastered on her gorgeous face, which caused complete confusion on the villagers face in why the princess was holding the towns cowards son's arm. Finally they reached the library and Belle released his arm so that she could open the door and step inside the slightly dusty and candle lit room, which was filled with a variety of old and new books. Rumple checked out the room as Belle ran off to inspect some books that have caught her eye, and without realizing, Belle had picked out a couple of books and have given one to him and keep the other for herself,

"I will treat you to this book...it is one of my utmost favourites!" she giggled. He looked down at the cover which read; Beauty and the Beast. He didn't know of this book and looked upon her with concern,

"You don't have to buy me anything dearie." Rumple mumbled awkwardly. Belle was confused by the sudden nickname, but chose to ignore it,

"My treat; especially since you have harmed yourself in the process of meeting me out in the lake." she chuckled. But before he could complain she took out some gold coins from a small purse she had tucked away and gave it to the book owner. With a successful grin she placed her delicate hand on his shoulder; causing his heart to skip a beat, "You're welcome." she giggled. Rumple smiled and stoked the cover of the book gently,

"Thank you." Belle smiled in return,

"Maybe next time we meet I can read it to you?" Belle asked happily,

"I'd like that."


	4. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I've got my inspiration back! Woop (*O*)  
> I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and that we are all dealing with going back to school/collage again :) Luckily I'm just working so it doesn't matter to me ;)  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy a little bit of fluff here and there <3

Rumplestiltskin paused at his bed and gave out a  aggravated sigh. He wondered why he'd been so stupid to have thought for one second that such a beautiful, kind, and sweet princess,  would like the son of a coward. She had no reason to  even like him, especially since he was filthy, moody and is most surely a coward also. He must know why she wanted to meet him in the first place, however he never got the chance since of all of the things that had happened.  Rumpelstiltskin sat down on his hard bed and looked out of the window  and watched the grey clouds slowly make their way across the sky, when suddenly a thought came to him; he should write a letter back! Rumple stood up and rushed over to the main room to try to find some paper and pen. After some searching he found the items and sat down next to the  table and began writing. 

_Dear Belle,_  

 _I wanted to say sorry with how we ended our meeting, I shouldn't have been so rude, I guess I have a lot on my mind. But Princess, there is something I am confused about that I'd like to ask you; why me? There are many boys and princess at your grasp, yet you wanted to meet me? You must explain, unless this is a joke to you? I'm sorry for the questions, but we only met once before and you were a lot younger, so what kept you thinking about me? I suppose I'm just a confused poor boy, and I hope you get this letter soon so that I won't be waiting too long._  

_I hope you are doing well, and I shall begin to read the book you bought me; I'm sure it is a good read. From Rumpelstiltskin_

Rumple re-read his letter over and over again, and began to cringe at how pathetic he sounded. He almost burned the letter so that the princess would never witness how needy he must've looked, yet something inside him told him to try and send it. He grabbed his brown cloak and pulled the hood over his head, then made his way outside. The chill in the air wasn't as strong as it was a week ago, yet it still brought a strong shiver down Rumple's spine. He began his  tre k up the  steep hill to get to the large  White Castle where their king and queen  reside .  It always seemed so  daun ting from afar, and wondered what types of drama and issues might happen inside such a large castle, however the fact that Belle was born and brought up inside the castle, and has come out to be such a wonderful and sweet young lady, calms Rumplestiltskins nerves. 

At last Rumple, who was now very tired and nervous, looked at the large wooden gates with prevented people from coming inside, and he breathed in deeply before knocking hard on the door with his fist. In one a short moment a large guard who wore a helmet which covered his face, and the castles typically styled armer presented himself in front of the smaller boy. Once the guard saw it was a boy he softened his gaze and rested his back to the door and folded his arms, 

"What is your place here boy?" the guard asked, his voice husky and forced, as if he is trying to be stronger and meaner than he actually was. Rumple coughed slightly and held the letter out in front of him, 

"I want to give a letter to Princess Belle...Sir." Rumple added, trying his hardest to look at the guard straight in the eye to show courage, which he knew he didn't have. The guard started at the letter for a brief moment before letting out a laugh,  

"Why would you want to write a letter to the Princess?" The guard asked, in a mocking tone, "It's not like someone of her rank would like to be admired by a poor peasant boy?" 

Rumple's gaze dropped to his feet, as he felt the world around him grow darker and his stomach drop, but then something came over him; something that his father never had...honor. Rumpelstiltskin looked upon the guard with proudness in his brown eyes, and held out the letter closer to the guard, 

"I think you will find that the Princess will decide that alone, without any input from the staff." Rumple mocked, caused the guard to be taken aback, "Belle is actually a good friend of mine, and we have meet a few times." he lied, "If you don't give this letter to her as soon as possible, then I will have to tell her that her guard is lacking on his duties...I don't think the king will be happy with that either." Rumple could feel his heart racing and sweat dripping from his forehead, but luckily the guard hadn't noticed how nervous and scared the boy had become, because the guard himself had grown worried as he didn't know if the boy was bluffing or not.  

The guard grunted and snatched the letter off of Rumple and place it in his pocket. With an angry nod he turned around and left the boy alone outside the hardly shut gate. Rumple finally breathed a sigh of relief and his weak legs gave way to his shaking body as he fell to the ground. After a moment of silence Rumple let out a nervous laugh and looked up at the stars with a small smile; maybe he doesn't have to grow up a coward like his father? He managed  to stand up to a royal guard and get his letter through the gates. It was the first real time that Rumpelstiltskin was actually proud of himself. 

* * *

 

 It was the morning after his encounter with the guard, and he was sitting at the table with Sarah and Alice. They were all eating their porridge before a long days work of spinning, and Rumple had been telling them both about how brave and heroic he was, explaining in full detail in how he succeeded his plan, and even elaborated on how Rumple wasn't even scared and that the guard was so scared of him. It caused him pleasure to see how the two spinners applauded him for his bravery, especially when Sarah told him that she'd treat him by showing him a couple new tricks on the spinning wheel. After their breakfast, the two old ladies went to work at the spinning wheel and Rumpelstiltskin shuffled off to his room to begin reading Belle's favorite book. He laid down on the bed and opened up the first page, his eyes scanned over the letters and he allowed himself to get sucked into the story of how a prince was cursed by a witch and was turned into a beast, and if no one could love him till his 21st birthday, he'd be stuck like that forever. It sounded like a tragic story, and wondered why Belle loved it so much. But as he kept reading, the more his heart grew fonder of the characters, and wished for that special happy ending...

A knock on the door awoke Rumpelstiltskin from his phase, and Sarah poked her head inside the room with a large smile plastered on her face, which only spoke of 'good news'. Rumple shut the book quickly and rushed towards the door,  

"What is it?" Rumple asked excited, but Sarah just handed over a letter to him with a small giggle. They both knew what this was, and she left him to the letter alone this time. Rumple sat back on the bed and opened the neat envelope to find a neatly written letter inside, 

 _Dear Rum,_  

 _I've been given your letter early this morning, and to my surprise it was hand-delivered from you to my door, which I thought was very sweet. I found it odd that Harry, the front guard, asked if we were good friends? However I said yes, and that seemed to keep him quiet I suppose. I wanted to clear the air, I'm sorry I haven’t been tru_ _ly honest with you Rumplestiltskin, but I'm going to admit a few things._  

 _Firstly, I called you 'Rum' because I was quite young when we met and I couldn't fully remember your full name, however now I know, therefore I can call you that if you prefer?_  

 _Secondly, the time I gave you my cloak wasn't the first time I saw you... the times I would go to the town with my mother; would be when I'd catch sight of you running to the nearby tavern and tugging this older man out of there with tears in your eyes; I suppose that was your father? Also another time I saw you playing with other children outside in the rain, and you looked like you were having lots of fun, and how I wished I could be like you. But I suppose I have duties being a princess, but the third time I saw you, was when you were discussing something with your father outside of the tavern, and you showed him something I couldn't quite see. However I was called_ _by my mother to join her on her horse, but when I looked back, you both were completely gone. It sparked my curio_ _sity_ _, and the other times I caught sight of you crying, laughing and looking sad I wanted to help, however I was too young to act upon my instincts._  

 _I want to help people Rum, and you were my first I cared about to act upon my good heart. I suppose I should thank you for bringing that side out of me, and my mum is proud of it too._  

 _I hope you'd know that nothing I've done or said was a joke, and that I wish you all the happiness. I wish we could meet up soon, and that you are enjoying my book._  

 _Yours truly, Belle._        

Rumple sighed with happiness and unintentionally hugged the letter, but quickly stopped to prevent it from being ruined. He couldn't believe that just being himself had brought out the princess's kind heart for the first time; he felt so special, and maybe he could possibly make her think of him as something more than just a friend. Rumple knew that it was a crazy idea, but he thought he had a shot this time, it was the first time he'd fallen for someone, and if she'd like him back...then he might actually get his happy ending.          

  


	5. Something that wasn't there before.

Belle yawned sleepily and sat up  slightly in her large  extravagant bed, she looked around her room and took notice upon the most recent letter she  received from  Rumpelstiltskin. Belle smiled sadly in  rememb rance of how anxious he was about her not actually caring for him, and how worried he must've been to send that letter himself to get it to Belle quicker. The princess hardly knew the boy, yet there was something about him...maybe there was a lot more to uncover about him. Belle made it her mission to break down his walls and to find out who he tru ly is, and then maybe he can finally find a friend in this world which seemed so cruel to him already. She hoped that her letter got to him today, and that she would receive a letter in reply soon, as she seemed to grow rather excited towards getting a handwritten letter from him; it seemed like a romance novel that she'd read recently, where to people only knew  each other from sending letters to each other back and forth, and eventually they ended up falling in love with each other, despite not knowing each other's  appearances . Belle always believed that you can't judge a person unless you truly know them, and in that story, it proves that people can fall in love with the person themselves, and not just the outer appearance.

A gentle knock came to her bedroom door, and after Belle replied a couple of maids entered with kind smiles, but Belle only focused on one of the maids; Jenny. She was a rather large lady, but she was the loveist and kindest people Belle has ever known. Jenny was carry a tray of food which held a small variety of pastries, some tea, bread and a small bowl of fruit, she then placed it down on Belle's table in the center of the room for her to eat her breakfast comfortably. Belle smiled happily,  

"Thank you Jenny." she said as she stood up from her bed, grabbing her robe and making her way to her seat, 

"No problem my lady, how are you today?" Jenny asked, holding her arms behind her back; just like  the rest of the maids in the room, 

"I'm very good thank you, how is your pregnancy coming along?" Belle asked cheerfully while taking a bite out of some strawberries. Jenny's smile widened as her baby was mentioned, and she seemed to glow with pride, 

"It's going well, seeming I'm only in the first trimester, I'm afraid my morning sickness is getting worse as I'm going along." Jenny said with a shrug. Belle nodded and took another bite of fruit, 

"If you need any medicine, rest or help during your pregnancy, I'm always willing to supply with whatever you need." Belle stated, causing Jenny to become taken aback from such a kind gesture, 

"Are you sure...?" after a nod from Belle, a huge smile came about on the maid's face, "Thank you so much Princess!"  

Belle giggled, and managed to finish her breakfast shortly after, then once the maids took away her tray, she turned towards Jenny with a curious question of her own, 

"Have you decided on a name?" Belle asked, sipping her tea and humming happily at the wonderful taste. Jenny grinned, 

"We aren't sure yet, but the only thing I do know for sure, is that she is taking my husbands last name; Potts." Jenny said with a smile. Belle smiled in return, 

"Potts, sounds like an interesting name." Belle chuckled, causing Jenny to giggle in return. Suddenly something came to Jenny's mind and caused her to stop laughing, 

"Oh, I almost forgot, but your father wants you down to the main room to discuss news on the war, your mother will be attending as it is rather important." the way Jenny explained, made Belle feel on edge, 

"Is everyone alright?" Belle asked nervously, but all her maid did was smile, but her eyes showed only worry, which definitely didn't help Belle's nerves. She decided to make her way down there as soon as she could, so she signaled her maids to help her get dressed into a beautiful green ankle length dress, and they brushed and styled her hair with some curls and placed the rose that Rumple gave her in the side of her brown hair. After she was dressed, she thanked her maids and began to make her way down the long staircase. She noticed a lot of guards standing around the hallways; there faces all looked rather nervous, and some were fidgety as they tried to remain still in the posts. Once Belle got to the doors of the main room, two people dressed with dark odd clothing stepped out with one of the royal guards; the tallest on wore a black hooded cloak over their head, so Belle couldn't make out who it was, however the other person was an old woman who had long grey hair which went past her shoulders, and her eyes were pure light grey; they definitely gave the princess the creeps. The old lady suddenly noticed the princess and her smile grew into a scary Cheshire-like grin; she jumped over to Belle and grabbed her hand causing Belle to Yelp in shock, and the guard frantically sprinted over to the old lady and pull her back, but before the old woman let go of her hand, she said hastily, 

"I've seen your future child, and I give you a word of advice; beware the dark one, he will keep you a prisoner and slave you, never trust someone so evil!"  

Finally the guard managed to drag the old woman away from the stunned princess; without realizing, she noticed that the other people in the hood vanished when she was attacked. Belle put her arms around herself as she felt her skin crawl; she didn't know who the 'Dark one' was, but apparently she had to stay away from them? Belle shook off the scared feeling and quickly entered into the main  room; it was filled with multiple guards, the Queen and King, and a few of Belle's personal maids; including Jenny. Her trusted maid gave her a genuine smile, building her confidence up slightly. Once Belle's father noticed her presence he breathed deeply then began, 

"I've gathered everyone here to say some bad news; the Ogars are getting close to the towns borders and we might have to start evacuating our people in the villages to keep them from safety." Belle's heart sank; Rumple is going to have to leave? "I don't believe we have enough soldiers to help us with this war, and all we can do is hope." The king sighed, taking hold of his wife's hand when realizing she was shaking the whole time.

The first thing she thought about, was to find Rumple and tell him what was happening, or she could write him a letter? She was just about to leave the room, when she noticed three guards were standing by the door; preventing anyone from leaving. In confusion, Belle turned around towards her father, "We have asked upon some help from Witches and Wizards to help up in this battle, yet none of them are strong enough to do such a thing, which is why we need to find the dark one." Belle's eyes widened in shock, when remembering what the old woman had said just moments ago. People began sprouting their complaints and worry but the king became annoyed and yelled at them to be quiet; one people have stopped talking, he carried on, "What we do know, is that the Duke of the  Frontlands have  acquired the Dark O ne, Zoso, as  their personal body guard and slave. We need to get hold of what is  controlling the Dark One, and use him as our own way to win this war." The King explained, "I need my best soldiers to go on that long  journey to find Zoso and bring him back." 

Belle swallowed hard and noticed she had been shaking in fear  the whole time, she couldn't stay in this room any longer. She turned back around and rushed towards the door, shoving the guards out of the way, opening the door, and sprinting as fast as she could to the study she tends to hide in when being following around gets too much for her. Once she reached the study she hid underneath one of the desks facing away from the door and let the tears flow down her cheeks; she couldn't believe it, she is going to lose Rumple as a friend, and her whole town and castle is in danger! Belle reached her hand up to the rose in her hair and brushed the petals softly in  rememb rance of him, and her tears fell more and more. She forced herself to stop crying as she heard footsteps outside the door, she held a hand over her mouth to prevent anymore sound being made, and remained like that until she couldn't hear anyone else outside. She needed to leave, and warn Rumple as soon as possible so they can figure out a plan. She looked out of the window and hurried over to the ledge to judge how high up she was, luckily for her it was  merely a small drop to the ground, so she tugged up for green dress, leaned over the ledge, and jumped. 

With a soft, but  ungraceful thud, she landed on the soft green grass of the gardens. Belle ran quickly down the side of the castle to find herself  in front  a part of the large green hedge that sat behind the outer castle walls. She pulled some  leaves aside to find a small hole in the castle outer wall; Belle always knew of this issue in their wall, but never told anyone as she thought it would always be a great way of escaping to and from the  castle , which definitely came in handy at this moment in time. When making her way out of  the hole, she  peaked around to see if any guard was standing outside, but to her luck there wasn't, so she took off down the  steep hill towards the main village  center . Once there, lots of the villages smiled and greeted the princess with joy, but only Belle could do, is look upon everyone in sympathy, as they all had to leave the homes they grew up in, and had to find a new place to live  soon. Belle kindly waved the villages goodbye as she set off searching for Rumplestiltskins's home; she didn't exactly remember what it looked like, but she did know that it was close to the local tavern, so she set off towards that instead.

"Be quick dear, or you'd be late for lunch!" A lady called out from one of the nearby homes; this peaked Belle's interest and she turned towards one home in particular which the woman's voice came from. As if it was either luck of fate, a boy with scruffy-almost shoulder length hair, tattered clothes and big brown eyes came out from the house and began making his way towards the direction of the castle, yet when he looked up he froze in shock when his eyes laid sight on the princess. Belle smiled, 

"Hello Rum." Belle greeted, her sadness slowly leaving her when seeing his surprised face, which made him look rather cute, 

"Belle!" Rumple gasped, then quickly hid something behind his back with a cough, 

"What is that behind your back?" She asked curiously. Rumple sighed in defeat and held out a folded up letter, 

"It was for you...I was just about to take it to the castle, but I guess since you're here..." Rumple mumbled embarrassed. Belle's smile grew wider and she gently took the letter and placed it at her side, 

"Why thank you." Belle giggled, causing Rumple is slightly blush. Seeing him at this moment broke her heart even more, she didn't notice how much she was growing fond of him, and now she might not ever be even better friends than they are now. Rumple seemed to notice her change of mood and his smile vanished, 

"Is everything okay Belle?" Rumple asked concerned. Belle sighed and stared down at the ground; should could handle looking at him when telling him the bad news, 

"Today I got the news that the ogars are coming for our town, and that for the safety for this town, everyone here must leave and find shelter elsewhere, so no one will get hurt." Belle could feel her eyes watering  once again. Rumple remained silent for quite a long time; thinking of a good plan that could help their situation, 

"What will happen to you?" He asked, anxious of her answer, 

"I suppose I stay here and sight for our kingdom, alongside my family." Belle stated, growing more and more terrified for the future. Rumple's breath hitched in shock,  

"No!" 

"What?" 

"You aren't staying here in danger." Rumple growled, 

"I don't have a choice." she sighed defeated. Rumpelstiltskin didn't it for one second, and his eyes narrowed in thought, 

"By the time everyone has to leave..." he started, biting his lip nervously, "Would you like to run away with me?"  

"What?" 

"Leave with me." 

"Oh Rum...That's a lovely proposal, but my family...I can't." Belle sighed, tears beginning to stream down her face once again. She started to get annoying with herself at how many times she had cried today. Rumpelstiltskin gave out a long sigh, and with a nod he began to walk back to his house, but in a sudden desperate act for him not to leave; Belle jumped out and grabbed Rumple's arm, and as he turned back to look at her, she rushed into his arms and held him tightly.

Belle could hear his heart beat race fast in his chest, and it seemed to relax her that his heart was behaving in such a way, but it confused her also, did he like her more than a  friend?  The heart only races when someone is either scared or in love; that is what books have taught Belle through the years. To find out, she slightly leaned back and looked up at Rumple; his big brown eyes stared down at the beauty in awe, and his pupils  dilated slightly. Belle felt like the rest of the world got paused and they were on their own in the town; she felt her heart begin to pick up pace and she felt her cheeks growing warmer. Rumple held his hand up to her cheek and stroked her soft skin gently automatically without thinking, Belle blushed even more as she kept looking into his adorable eyes. It seemed like it was a perfect moment...Belle looked at his pink lips and while holding her breath, she leaned up slightly and their lips met. Her heart raced and they both closed their eyes to  savo r this moment, he held her tighter and kissed her a bit more passionately than they began with, and Belle smiled in the kiss. Finally they pulled apart and grinned  nervously at  each other when noticing they were both bright red in the face. 

"What just happened?" Rumple asked, looking away slightly so he can hide how much he'd blushed, 

"I kissed you." 

"I know that!" Rumple laughed, "But why?" 

"I wanted to know if you felt the same way..." 

"Wait...you..." 

"I really like you." Belle explained, "From how you kept my cloak, you always tried your hardest to keep your father it seemed, you were kind to me, and I adore letters...if you'd read my favorite book, you'd know I'm a romantic." she giggled. Rumple didn't notice how shocked he was, but it caused Belle to laugh harder,  

"But you're so beautiful, kind and amazing, why would you like me?" He didn't realize what he'd admitted until it was too late; they both blushed, 

"I just explained silly, it doesn't matter about who you are outside, it's what is on the outside that counts." Belle began, "But knowing you care for me... changes things."  

"What do you mean?" 

"I will run away with you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *From Belle's POV*  
> Hope you like it <3


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